Next Generation Nexus 7 Android Tablet May Beat iPad Mini 2 to Market

One of the most oft-recommended Android tablets is Google's Nexus 7 built by Asus. The 7-inch slate is still relatively well equipped with an NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, and best of all, stock Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the latter of which is reason alone to put the Nexus 7 on your short list of potential Android tablets. But not even Google is immune to the fast pace of technology, hence a second generation Nexus 7 slate is in the pipeline.

An announcement may come as early as next month, which would be exactly one year after the original Nexus 7 launched. The time is right for another Nexus 7 tablet, and as an added bonus, a July release would give Google an opportunity to snatch up potential tablet buyers before Apple comes to market with a second generation iPad mini.

IHS iSupply tells CNET that Japan Display Inc. and AUO are making the display for the next Nexus 7, while Quanta is in charge of building the tablet. The research firm also indicated that the device's launch is "not far" off from now.

While nothing is yet official, it's expected the next Nexus 7 will feature the same 7-inch form factor but with an upgraded Full HD 1080 (1920x1200) display resolution (323 pixels per inch), up from 1280x800 (216 pixels per inch). It's also likely that Google will keep the price the same, just as Apple has done with subsequent iPad launches.